New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-26
THE PENSION BUREAU.
NEEDLESS DELAYS AND GROSS INJUSTICE.
SOME SPECIMEN CASES OF HARDsHIP-oFFICIAL
HOSTILITY AND INDIFFERENCE EXPOSED.
TELECR hPH TRIBUyE.1

adjustment OF their business by the Pension Bureau is
true, there must be good many screws loose In the
official machinery Of that branch OF the pension service
or course in many delays unavoidable, but as
matter OF fact they can traced In thousands OF cases
official hostility, neglect indifference. 10 lack OF
business methods and, unfortunately for the disabled
veteran the needy widow TO the desire of the Commits
soner Of Pensions 10 his official position 10 promote
his political ambition and tho fortunes OF his party. IL
is extremely difficult for any person to obtain
from the records OF tho Pension Bureau
itself proof of its own inchiciency. and suffering
claimants themselves restrained from making their
grievances known by fear OF placing their interests
IN still greater peril Several months ago western
Congressman related this incidents "A disabled vet
eran who held honorable discharge applied 10 me for
assistance. He informed me that the Commissioner @
Pensions had called him nearly two years before
to supply certain testimony to perfect his claim,
ard that he had furnished 1t promptly The only answer
to several urgent appeals to the Pension Bureau was
demand for the additional evidence which had been fur
hised. when the finally called mp that evi-
dence which had been filed with the other papers In the
case many months before. discovered. IL had been
overlooked and two or three demands for IL were
made after 1t had been received. That was
an example OF gross official neglect Probably the ap
pcant himself might have been able to drive it
into the heads OF the officials that the demand had been
long before satisfied"
LONG AND vExATIoUs DELAYS
VI
inciaents which have fallen under their observation
where applicants have been subjected to long
and yeXatous delays through the hostility or
neglect Of the Pension Bureau. but they
are unwilling disclose the particulars for fear that the
benefciares will be compelled TO suffer More than one
applicant whose letters Of complaint have found their
wsy to the official flies OF the Pension Bureau has had
sad reason TO regret the writing OF them Such
has been the experience OF New-England
veteran whose clsim was filed twenty-one years
ago. In this case a vast array OF testimony mas
been filed. The claimant has filed Pelion on Osa TO
prove his disabilities. and OF them he did prove.
while the serious rejected In support Of
both he has filed adays In numbers from his company
officers his comrades and his regimentsl surgeon The
array OF evidence BY which be proved his
condition since the war was simply extraor
dinary, and comprised the testimony oil
several doctors OF undoubted ability and unqucstioned
integrity, OF whom examining surgeons OF the
Pension Office. The witnesses that proved the pen
stoned disability muias mutdndis proved the one which
rejected. His most thoroughly fortified In
every particular but has been again rejected for alleged
lack OF proof OF ncurronce in the service and con-
tinuance since. Whether he can give new proofs AZ
this late date is doubtful Another peDsoner who made
bter complaint against the Pension Bureau for strik-
ing his name from the rolls has vsnly sought rostora
ton lie is suffering from cruel disabilities Incurred In
the service. but they attributed by the pension
officials to a fcon or something Of that sort
which he had before he enlisted u the army.
disabled veteran from California informed THE IhlB
UNE spOndent that the disease which renders him
incapable OF earning support by manual labor Is abso
utcy progressive IN Its nature, and was .oreeognzedDy
the pension surgeons who examined him and rocom-
ended large n his rating and the Pension
Bureau holds that his increased and increasing dsab
iy Is due 10 old age alone and that no proof TO the
contrary will be admitted.
JUST COMPLAINT AGAI'sr EXAMINERS.
Another case that tho complaints against some
Of Blacks special examiners we'll founded and that
they Jealous and eager to prove hat every disabled
veteran who draws pension is scoun-
drel. It Is the Of poor, dccrepit
old man. totterins the verge OF tho grave whose
name was stricken from the rolls by the Commissioner
appealed TO the Secretary Of the INTERIOR not only for
restoration but for increase in his rating which was
clearly his due The referred 10 special eI
aminer the Pension Bureau for investigation. His re-
port clearly unjust that It drew from the secre-
tary-General Blacks superior ocer-these comments:
"The impression cannot be avoided that he ithe exam
nerl apparently entered upon the investigation In the
full belief that the claim fraudulent one, and that
his special mission to prove Il such rather than TO
obtain the facts and he just TO the claimant E
ge OF merit Is unwarranted-" The Old mans name was
restored to the rolls but Ills rating was not increased
Pension bureau 10 have an sxanininS surgeon
sent TO examine him at hs bedside, as his
disabilities had so Increased that he could
not leave he desired 10 apply for increase
In his rating. His application nled with the ether
papers In his case, and never answered lie died
shortly aftsrward. In another case. through ineI.
cusabIe carelessness pension certificate which had
been issued was not mailed beneficiary until after
a long delay, and when it reached Its destination
stoned Moreover when the certificate received the
OF the deceased applicant who Otherwise msSt have
received the money and obtained pension IN MS own
right, had just passed the age Of sixteen years
SOME OF THE CAUSES OF DELAY.
Tho Union veterans OF the war, whether pen
soners or applicants for pensions or
not will be interested in knowing some
of the specific causes OF delay the present admnsra
ten OF the Pension Bureau. One Is the nefciency OF
the Commissioner. second has been the employment
considerable part OF the clerical force IN the
ration OF Democratic campaign literature and OF
could be based. third cause has been Cen
ings in cases where claimants had been tech
nically charged with desertion. 1t had been uni.
who held an discharge from the Army Navy
s snss %
line OF preceden fourth cause OF delay has boen tho
ins through Of as many "easy case. as practicable in
order to make great showing OF results. and the order
that all pending applications shall DO treated rejected
In which the additional testimony required shall not DO
The order Is Illegal and cannot DO enforced but tho
less will 1t dishearten many applicants whose claims
and needless DELAYS In very many cases tho effect
OF 1t will be virtual denial OF Justice.
REVIEWS AND RE-REvIEws.
Another fruitful OF delay. we'll As the source
OF many acts OF injustice toward claimants General
Blacks Reorganization" Of the Pension Bureau For
merly tho claimant had to run the gauntlet
Of the Adjudicating Division, the Medical Division
and the Board of Review. To these has been added
Ia division. from which have smanated numerous de-
cisions, opinions rulings the objects OF which TO
observer would to be TO bef0g both
law and equity and down the claimant The Board oi
Review has been supplemented by q board OF
"rerevisw w"--whatever that may mean. This IL q
potent cause OF delay and Injustice II consists OF
chief OF section twenty nine "rerovewers" and seven
clerks and It undertakes to approve or reject all cases
passed upon by tho Adudicatng Division as we'll as by
the Board OF Review. IL appears that this rerevisw.
ing machine last year rejected outright l3.o26 cases
reported by the Adjudcang Division and Board OF Re
view and sent back lO654 applications for additional
testimony One would think that after case had been
"adudicated," reviewed" and "rsreviswed 1t ought
be complete but such not the fact the board Of
review and the board Of the "rerevew" disagree tho
case must 60 to the Commissioner or appeal Frsm his
decision an appeal may be taken 10 one OF the three
boards OF pension appeals In the onice
OF the Secretary OF tho INTERIOR tho
decision OF which be confirmed rejected BY the
head of the department General Black has abolished
III 80 sh>